Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattawarangkoon says foreign tourists should always be taken into account when developing a tourism plan.

The Tourism and Sports Minister said during a trip to Chiang Mai that the tourism sector needed to find a way to encourage foreign visitors to stay in the country longer.

Vendors need to adopt new approaches that will help them sell more goods to tourists. They are also encouraged to study more closely what tourists like to buy, especially the Chinese as they make up the largest number of foreign visitors.

Other foreigners coming to Thailand each year include Japanese, the French and Americans. Manufacturers are urged to focus on applying traditional knowledge to design products that attract more buyers.

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